The Right Way and the Wrong Way to Reduce a Medicaid Penalty
There are many reasons why the Medicaid program is so confusing to the general public. Perhaps, the greatest source of misunderstanding is the Medicaid penalty. And that mystification can cost literally thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Allow me to explain. The Medicaid penalty is actually a period of months
How Does Medicaid View Long Term Care Insurance?
Mary cared for her husband, John, at home. John had long term care insurance to help pay for a home health aide. However, over time, keeping John at home simply became impossible and Mary was forced to place him in a nursing facility. She applied the insurance towards the cost
Is Medicaid Really Biased?
So often, when families call in the midst of a long term care crisis, their primary concern, they tell us, is to care for their loved one at home. For some that will be impossible, as their medical needs require nursing home care. But, for others, home care is possible.
“But We Did Exactly What the Medicaid Caseworker Said”
So many ways to get tripped up by the Medicaid system. Here’s yet another one. John was agent under power of attorney for his mom who was in a nursing facility. Over the past 3 years he had spent Mom’s money down for her care and then applied for Medicaid.
How to Avoid Committing Medicaid Fraud
When it comes to long term care planning, the earlier the better. One of the primary reasons is the Medicaid 5 year look back. Medicaid will look back through 5 years of your financial records to determine if you have done anything with your money that would cause you to
Dad Gets German Reparations Money – Can Mom Keep it All?
Jerry’s dad receives a monthly check from the German government, compensation as a result of his suffering at the hands of the Nazis in World War II. Dad has dementia and will soon need nursing home care. Jerry is trying to preserve as much as he can for his mom,
Can I Give Gifts This Holiday Season (Part 1)?
As the holiday season is upon us again, so is the season of gift giving, whether it be Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or any other life event, for that matter, that we typically associate with gift giving. Many of our elderly clients ask us the following common question, “Can I make
Mary and Bob – Almost Divorce and Then Tragedy Strikes (Part 2)
Last week we were discussing Mary and Bob, in the process of getting divorced and then Bob was seriously injured in a car accident. He survived but now faces a long recovery road ahead, one which will result in his need for long term care. Mary, since she is still
Mary and Bob – Almost Divorced But Then Tragedy Strikes
Mary and Bob were married 40 years and raised a son together. Over the years, however, they grew apart and when their son entered the military and his career took him overseas they realized that there was no reason for them to stay together. They agreed that a divorce and
But Mom Wanted Me to Have the Money
In the last few years readers of my blog know that many of my posts are real stories that highlight the pitfalls and dangers of not putting together a plan for long term care until you are on the doorstep of the nursing home. Here’s another one, with names changed